Nineteen fifty-five proved to be a very successful year for Cadillac, as car sales were at an all-time high. It was also a particularly important year for the Eldorado, which benefited from a host of improvements. Although styling changes were rather minimal across the board, the Eldorado was the exception, as it received a revised look and a special high-performance engine.

At the rear, the traditional Cadillac “fishtail” fins, in use since 1948, were replaced with sweeping, pointed tailfins, which were a quintessential feature of the spaceflight theme prevalent in the 1950s. Brake, turn signal, and backup lights were positioned at the base of the fins, and an Eldorado badge appeared on the rear deck. Additionally, the attractive Eldorado featured full rear-wheel cutouts, proudly displaying the new “Saber Spoke” cast aluminum and steel wheels, which were offered as standard equipment and replaced the previous chrome wire wheels. Finally, other Eldorado items included metallic appliqués on the upper door and quarter window sills.

For 1955 the standard 331-cubic inch V-8 engine offered on all Cadillacs produced 250 horsepower, which was 20 more than the previous model year. The Eldorado, however, benefited from a 270-horsepower version that sported two 4-barrel carburetors, which was also an optional high performance setup available for other models. Furthermore, a Hydra-Matic automatic transmission was standard on all cars, and as expected, an array of comfort and convenience accessories were offered, with many of which becoming standard equipment on the Eldorado Convertible Coupe. The myriad of optional equipment included air conditioning, a heating system, a new electrically operated antenna, a new signal-seeking pre-selector AM radio, an Autronic eye, side-mounted spotlights, fog lamps, “E-Z Eye” tinted glass, electrically operated six-way power seats, and a remote-control trunk lid, to name but a few.

At a price of nearly $6,000, the Eldorado, and all other Cadillacs in fact, were directed at clients who were particularly successful and well-to-do. The company’s advertising campaign unashamedly targeted those individuals who had “arrived,” furthering Cadillac’s image as a luxurious status symbol with flashy styling and performance to match.

The Eldorado Convertible offered here has benefited from a quality restoration and is an excellent example indeed. It shows just 22,000 miles, believed to be original, and is attractively finished in white with a black convertible top. The quality of the chrome is commensurate with the excellent paint, as is the black and white interior.

In Mr. and Mrs. Kughn’s ownership the Eldorado was road-tested against another of their cars, a 1955 Packard Caribbean, and a 1956 Lincoln for the December 2012 issue of Motor Trend Classic magazine. The Packard is also offered for sale today, offering the opportunity for a new owner to do some road-testing of his or her own!

Even though Cadillac sold a record 140,000 cars in the 1955 model year and total American automobile production reached 9.2 million cars (an all-time record), just 3,950 Eldorados were built for 1955. They remain highly desirable to this day, and they exhibit superior standards of luxury and style that have made them an icon of American affluence.